Glass nipping pliers with floating jaw



Feb. 18, 1958 J. B. BOHLAND 2,

GLASS NIPPING PLIERS WITH FLOATING JAW Filed Nov. 13, 1956 INVENTOR. JEROME B. BOHL AND AT TORNEVS GLASS NIPPING PLIERS WITH FLOATING JAW Jerome B. Bohland, San Jose, Calif.

Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,792

7 Claims. (Cl. 81-5.1)

The present invention relates to pliers, and pertains more particularly to pliers for nipping off edge portions of a pane of glass which has been scored on one side by a glass cutter.

It is customary in trimming a narrow strip from the edge of a pane of glass for fitting the latter into a sash or frame, to first score a scratch or cut in one face of the glass by means of a conventional glass cutter using a hardened steel cutting wheel or diamond point. The edge portion beyond the cut is then gripped by a pair of flatjawed pliers called nipping pliers and is broken off.

It is essential that the inner face of one jaw of these pliers be flat, and that the outer edge of the other jaw be straight and parallel to the flat face of the first jaw in order to properly grip the glass and thus prevent uneven breaking of the glass.

However, a rather large percentage of such nipping pliers with the customary fixed jaws do not produce satisfactory results when used for nipping off the scored edge portion of such panes of glass. Furthermore, when the two faces of a pane of glass are not truly parallel, even the best fixed-jaw pliers are incapable of firmly and truly gripping it throughout the Width of the plier jaws.

In nipping off an edge portion from a large pane of glass, it is advisable to use nipping pliers with jaws as wide as is feasible, and for this reason nipping pliers conventionally are made in diiferent widths of face. However, as the width of the jaws increase, the difficulty in securing a full seating of the jaws on the glass increases, with the result that very few wide jaw pliers have satisfactory nipping characteristics.

The present invention contemplates the provision of an improved pair of glass nipping pliers.

The invention further provides a pair of glass nipping pliers wherein one fixed jaw has a flat, true, inner face, and an outer end portion of the other jaw is mounted for limited, floating pivotal self adjustment about an axis extending lengthwise of said other jaw.

Another object of the invention is to make a pair of glass nipping pliers wherein one jaw is fixed, and the other jaw is mounted for limited pivotal movement only about an aXis extending lengthwise of the other jaw.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pair of glass nipping pliers with one jaw mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed axis, and a second fixed jaw, the jaws being interchangeable with other, similar jaws of different widths.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. l is a side elevational view of a pair of glass nipping pliers embodying the invention, a pane of glass gripped therein being shown sectionally.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the pliers shown in Fig. l, the pivotally mounted jaw portion being shown in glass gripping relation in solid lines and in pivotally ignited States Patent displaced position in broken lines, the glass being outlined in broken lines.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the pliers shown in Fig. 1, the view being taken from the lefthand side of the illustration of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, exploded perspective view of a modified form of pliers having a removable fixed jaw, the pivotally mounted floating jaw being shown in axially offset position as indicated by the broken, offset axis line.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing replaceable jaws for use with the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4.

Briefly, one embodiment of the present invention comprises a pair of glass nipping pliers A (Figs. 1-3) having one fixed, flat-faced jaw 10, and a second jaw 11 having a fixed base portion 12 and an outer end portion 13, which has journaled support on a fixed pivot bolt 14 extending lengthwise beyond the jaw base portion 12.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the form A of the invention shown in Figs. 1-3 comprises a pair of pivotally connected members 17 and 18, having circular hinge portions 19 and 20, respectively, pivotally connected together by a rivet 21. u

The members 17 and 18 have handle portions 22 and 23 respectively, formed integrally therewith. The fixed, fiat-faced jaw 10 is formed integrally with the member 17. The inner face 24 of this fixed jaw 10 is flat and smooth, and the plane defined by this inner face is parallel to the pivot rivet 21.

The base portion 12 of the second jaw 11 is formed integrally with the pliers half member 18. The inner face 25 of the jaw base 12 preferably is approximately flat and parallel to the axis of the pivot rivet 21, and when the pliers are opened to bring the inner jaw faces 24 and 25 parallel with each other, these faces are spaced apart by a distance greater than the thickness of the thickest pane of glass which the pliers are designed to nip. The outer end 26 of the jaw base portion 12 is flat, and is disposed at an angle of approximately to the inner face 25.

The floating jaw portion 13 is pivotally mounted on the unthreaded shank portion 14b of the screw 14. The reduced, threaded end portion of the screw 14 is screwed into a threaded hole 15 provided in the outer end 26 of the jaw base portion 14, the axis of this hole being normal to the outer end jaw face 14. The fit between the pivot post 14 and the floating jaw portion 13 is such as to allow floating pivotal adjustment of the jaw portion 13 with a pane 29 of glass gripped by the pliers, but without substantial tilting of the jaw portion 13 relative to the axis of the pivot post 14.

A downwardly extending stop lip 30 is provided on the radially inward end of the pivot jaw portion 13, said lip being spaced slightly from the inner face 25 of the jaw base portion 12, which it overlaps. This clearance permits limited pivotal adjustment of the floating jaw portion 13' when gripping a pane of glass but retains it against excessive pivotal displacement.

The inner face 31 of the pivotally mounted jaw portion 13 preferably is flat, and is inclined slightly away from the axis of the rivet pivot 21 toward its radially inward end, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. Thus, when the pliers A grip a pane 29 of glass, only the straight outer edge 32 of the jaw portion 13 will engage the pane of glass. This outer edge 32 thus provides a breaking or nipping fulcrum, which is self aligning with the gripped pane of glass, and urges the other face of the gripped pane toward full seated contact with the flat inner face 24 of the other, or fixed, jaw 25.

When using the pliers A, the outer edge of the fixed jaw 10 is aligned along the scored cutting line 33, the handles 22 and 23 are gripped to urge the jaws into gripping relation with the pane of glass 29 therebetween, and the pliers A are then swung bodily relative to the glass in the direction of the curved arrow at the bottom of Fig. 1. The glass will then break cleanly along the scored cutting line 33.

The floating jaw structure of the present nipping pliers not only insures full length gripping engagement with one face of the glass by the outer or fulcrum edge 32 of the floating jaw portion 13, but also insures full supported engagement of the other face of the glass with the flat inner face 24 of the fixed jaw during a nipping operation.

While the two faces of a pane of ground plate glass usually are in a condition of true parallelism with each other, it frequently happens in panes of glass other than ground plate glass that the two faces are not truly parallel to each other. Even in such cases the present pliers will still tend to adjust themselves under gripping pressure so as to attain the fullest possible effective nipping relation with the glass.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, a pair of nipping pliers B has a fixed jaw base portion 40 of a suitable, preferably non-circular, cross-sectional shape. This base portion 40 is fitted into a correspondingly shaped recess 41 in a replaceable fixed jaw portion 42. In the present instance, the fixed jaw base 4-0 and the recess 41 are of ll-cross sectional shape. A set screw 43 is screwed into a threaded hole provided therefore in the removable jaw portion 42, and engages the stem portion 40a of the T-shaped base portion 40 to secure the parts together when the removable jaw portion 42 is fitted thereon. The jaw portion 42 may be replaced by other generally similar shaped jaw portions, such as the jaw portions 42a and 42b of Fig. 4, of different widths as required. The structure and operation of the floating jaw 11a shown in Fig. 4 are generally similar to the jaw 11 of the primary form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive. Obviously, by removing the pivot screw 14, the jaw portion 13a can be replaced by other, similar floating jaw portions, such as the jaw portions 13b and 130 of Fig. 4, of widths corresponding, respectively, to those of replaceable fixed jaw portions 42a or 42b to be used therewith.

The invention provides a pair of glass nipping pliers which can be used without re-education by any skilled glass setter. Although each individual tool embodying the present invention costs slightly more to manufacture than a corresponding tool in which both jaws are fixed, the self-aligning feature of the present pliers insures full effective gripping relation with the glass with every pair of the pliers. The invention also has the further advantage of being able to adjust for slight irregularities in a pane of glass when gripped by the tool.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and one modified form thereof, it will be understood however, that other changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 7

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A pair of glass nipping pliers for nipping the edge portion of a pane of glass of predetermined maximum thickness comprising a pair of plier half members, each half member having a handle on one end and a jaw on the other end thereof, means pivotally connecting the half members together between their jaw and handle portions, one of said jaws being fixed and having a fiat inner face terminating in a straight outer edge parallel to the pivotal axis of the half members, the other jaw comprising a fixed base portion and a floating outer jaw portion, and having a total length equal to that of said one jaw, a pivot pin fixedly mounted in the outer end of said jaw base portion and extending longitudinally of the jaw base portion thelebeyond, the floating jaw portion being journaled on the pivot pin with a journal fit preventing substantial longitudinal relative tilting of the floating jaw portion, the inner face of the fixed base portion of said other jaw being spaced from the inner face of said one jaw by a distance sutficient to clear a pane of glass being nipped by the pliers, the inner face of the floating jaw por tion being disposed at an outwardly converging angle relative to the fiat inner face of said one jaw when the pliers are in nipping engagement with a pane of glass, the outer edge of the floating jaw portion being straight, and opposite the straight outer edge of the first jaw portion when the pliers are in nipping engagement with a pane of glass, whereby the floating jaw is free for pivotal movement to bring the outer edge thereof into full bearing engagement with such pane to provide a nipping fulcrum therefor, and to urge such pane toward full bearing relation with the flat inner face of said one jaw.

2. A pair of glass nipping pliers for nipping the edge portion of a pane of glass of predetermined maximum thickness comprising a pair of plier half members, each half member having a handle on one end and a jaw on the other end thereof, means pivotally connecting the half members together between their jaw and handle portions, one of said jaws being removable, means fixedly securing said one jaw in position on its half member, said one jaw having a flat'inner face terminating in a straight outer edge parallel to the pivotal axis of the half members, the other jaw comprising a fixed base portion and a removable, floating outer jaw portion, and having a total length equal to that of said one jaw when fixedly secured to its half member, pivot means removably connecting the floating jaw portion for limited pivotal movement only about an axis extending radially from the pivotal axis of the half members, the face of the fixed base portion of said other jaw being spaced from the inner face of said one jaw by a distance sufficient to clear a pane of glass being nipped by the pliers, the inner face of the floating jaw portion being disposed at an outwardly converging angle relative to the flat inner face of said one jaw when the pliers are in nipping engagement with a pane of glass, the outer edge of the floating jaw portion being straight, and opposite the straight outer edge of the first jaw portion when the pliers are in nipping engagement with a pane of glass, whereby the floating jaw is free for pivotal movement to bring the outer edge thereof into full bearing engagement with such pane to provide a nipping fulcrum therefor, and to urge such pane toward full bearing relation with the flat inner face of said one jaw.

3. An arrangement according to claim 2 wherein stop means are provided to limit pivotal movement of the floating jaw about its axis to a slight angular distance each way from a position of parallelism with the pivotal axis of the half members.

4. A pair of glass nipping pliers comprising a pair of plier half members, each half member having a handle portion on one end and a jaw portion on the other end thereof, a pivot pivotally connecting the half members together between their jaw and handle portions, one of said jaw portions having a flat inner face parallel to the pivotal axis of the half members, the other jaw portion comprising a fixed base portion and a floating outer jaw portion, the floating jaw portion being swiveled for transverse swivel movement and retained against longitudinal tilting movement relative to the fixed base portion on .of the floating jaw portion, whereby the floating jaw presses the pane of glass into full supported relation with the flat inner face of the fixed jaw, and the straight outer edge only of the floating jaw contacts the glass and provides a nipping fulcrum for a pane of glass seized by the p mm.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4 wherein a lip is provided on the inner end of each floating jaw portion overlapping the outer end of its supporting base and spaced slightly therefrom when the outer edge of the inner face of the floating jaw portion is parallel to the pivotal axis of the half members, thereby to limit swivel movement of the floating jaw member.

6. A pair of glass nipping pliers comprising a pair of plier half members, each half member having a handle portion on one end and a jaw base portion on the other end thereof, a pivot pivotally connecting the half members together between their jaw base and handle portions, a plurality of fixed jaw members each constructed for interfitted seated mounting on one of said jaw base portions, means for securing a selected one of said fixed jaw members in seated condition on said one jaw base portion, an equal plurality of floating jaw members of widths corresponding to those of the fixed jaw members, means for selectively mounting a floating jaw member on the other jaw base portion for transverse swivel movement only thereon, the inner face of each floating jaw member when so mounted being disposed at an outwardly converging angle relative to the flat inner face of a fixed jaw member seated on and secured to said one base portion when the pliers are pivotally adjusted to grip a pane of glass for nipping, the outer end of the inner face of each floating jaw member terminating in a straight line, whereby the floating jaw presses the pane of glass into full supported relation with the flat inner face of the fixed jaw, and the straight outer edge only of the floating jaw contacts the glass to provide a nipping fulcrum.

7. In a pair of glass nipping pliers having a pair of jaws pivotally connected together, a fixed jaw having a Hat inner face parallel to the axis of pivotal jaw connection, a second jaw comprising a fixed base portion, a floating jaw portion swiveled on the outer end of said fixed base portion for transverse swivel movement, and retained against longitudinal tilting movement, relative to its base, the inner face of the floating jaw portion having a straight outer edge positioned to engage a pane of glass gripped between the jaws, whereby the engagement of said outer edge of the floating jaw portion swivels the outer jaw portion to bring said outer edge into full length engagement with a pane of glass gripped between the jaws to provide a nipping fulcrum, and presses such pane of glass into full supported relation with the flat inner face of the fixed jaw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 331,812 Norris Dec. 8, 1885 1,420,516 Black June 20, 1922 2,736,218 Atkeson Feb. 28, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 521,578 Belgium Aug. 14, 1953 699,475 France Dec. 9, 1930 

